The separation of church and state is a right guaranteed by the First Amendment to the Constitution that states are obligated to comply with.Â How can any country claim to have Freedom of Religion, and yet laws such as these still exist on the books?Â Where does this fear originate from that states feel they must protect themselves against Atheist candidates?

And over on YouTube, ScienceChick points out the Top Fifteen Mass Murderers in History:

Benito Mussolini (Ethiopia, 1936; Yugoslavia, WWII) 300,000

Idi Amin (Uganda, 1969-1979) 300,000

Mullah Omar – Taliban (Afghanistan, 1986-2001) 400,000

Saddam Hussein (Iran 1980-1990 and Kurdistan 1987-88) 600,000

Suharto (East Timor, West Papua, Communists, 1966-98) 800,000

Jean Kambanda (Rwanda, 1994) 800,000

Leonid Brezhnev (Afghanistan, 1979-1982) 900,000

Menghistu (Ethiopia, 1975-78) 1,500,00

Kim Il Sung (North Korea, 1948-94) 1.6 million

Pol Pot (Cambodia, 1975-79) 1,700,000

Hideki Tojo (Japan, 1941-44) 5,000,000

Adolf Hitler (Germany, 1939-1945) 12,000,000

Jozef Stalin (USSR, 1934-39) 13,000,000

Mao Ze-Dong (China, 1958-61 and 1966-69) 49,000,000

Yahweh (biblical God) Every living, breathing creature on Earth except for 6 people as well as numerous subsequent massacres. This is the only mass murderer in history for whose crimes it’s easier to count the people who lived than the ones who were murdered.

The carnage in the Bible is horrific. Yet believers will say that their god is “all-loving”.

I realize that this sounds like a intentionally provocative question, but instead of being provoked, let’s look at the dictionary definition of the word “idiot”:

Id-i-ot: an utterly foolish or senseless person.

Using that definition as our guide, can we find evidence to support a link between belief in the Christian God and idiocy?

The first piece of evidence would have to be the story of Noah’s flood. In the Bible’s book of Genesis, chapter 6, we find this:

The LORD saw how great man’s wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time. The LORD was grieved that he had made man on the earth, and his heart was filled with pain. So the LORD said, “I will wipe mankind, whom I have created, from the face of the earth – men and animals, and creatures that move along the ground, and birds of the air – for I am grieved that I have made them.”

In Christian mythology, God is supposed to be all-knowing and all-loving. Yet, in this passage, an all-knowing God is somehow surprised by his own creation, and an all-loving God decides that mass extermination of all humans and animals is the only solution to the problem.

What can we say about people who worship an heinous, horrific God like this? Is it ever appropriate to worship a being who senselessy murders millions? Are Christians utterly foolish to “worship” an absurd “god”?

The second piece of evidence would be the fact that God’s mass-murdering tendencies are not limited to this single event. For example, in Exodus, Chapter 12, God kills the first born children and livestock of the Egyptians. To quote the Bible: “At midnight the LORD struck down all the firstborn in Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh, who sat on the throne, to the firstborn of the prisoner, who was in the dungeon, and the firstborn of all the livestock as well. Pharaoh and all his officials and all the Egyptians got up during the night, and there was loud wailing in Egypt, for there was not a house without someone dead.” Are Christians utterly foolish to worship a God who would kill thousands of innocent children?

The third piece of evidence would be the Christian tendency to ignore the obvious. In the book of John, chapter 12, Jesus says, “I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.” This is a simple, straightforward statement by Jesus. It is not taken “out of context.” Its sentiment is echoed many times by Jesus throughout the Gospels:

If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer. [Matthew 21:21]

If you ask anything in my name, I will do it. [John 14:14]

Ask, and it will be given you. [Matthew 7:7]

Nothing will be impossible to you. [Matthew 17:20]

Believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. [Mark 11:24]

Yet these verses are obviously, provably, undeniably false. If they were true, we could pray to God to heal amputees, and the amputated limbs would spontaneously regenerate.

Are Christians utterly foolish to worship Jesus, who is supposedly one-third of a perfect, all-powerful, all-knowing being, when it is obvious that what he is saying is wrong?

A fourth piece of evidence can be seen in the Christian belief in the power of prayer. True Christians pray to God throughout the day for dozens of trivial things. They will pray to God that they arrive at appointments on time. They will pray to God to help find lost keys. They will pray to God for a raise at work, or for help with conceiving a child. Christians completely endorse this kind of thinking:

“What are you praying for today? Is someone you love sick? Are you having problems with your spouse? Are you or your spouse suffering from an illness or an addiction? Are you hoping for a job transfer, or a positive result on a pregnancy test? Are you anxious about starting a new career? Having financial trouble? Don’t give up. God is faithful. Trust Him, in the little things and in the big. He cares, and He is there. Don’t lose hope. A miracle of your very own could be right around the corner.” – Christianity.com

When one of these trivial prayers is “answered”, Christians praise God and give thanks for their “blessings”. They will do that despite the fact that, according to UNICEF, 10 million children die of starvation on planet earth every year. In other words, Christians believe that their God is so cool that he will help them find their lost car keys. At the same time, they completely ignore the fact that their God is so horrific that he lets millions of children starve to death. Are Christians utterly foolish to believe in a superstition that is so obviously ridiculous?

What other examples can you think of? Please leave them in the comments below. Or, if you are a Christian, please explain these four examples in a more favorable light.

“If you are an educated Christian, I would like to talk with you today about an important and interesting question. Have you ever thought about using your college education to think about your faith? Your life and your career demand that you behave and act rationally. Let’s apply your critical thinking skills as we discuss 10 simple questions about your religion. The answers will amaze you.”

The friends and family of James Maccaline, the church usher arrested during an elaborate sting operation and accused of palming offering money, say he is a mentally limited retiree who is dying of liver cancer and may not have known what he was doing.

Maccaline’s supporters also say he is a devout Catholic, a 31-year member of St. Michael the Archangel Catholic Church and a faithful volunteer. They are angered that Cary police arrested him on misdemeanor larceny charges after staking out a Sunday morning Mass on New Year’s Eve with five undercover officers and 10 hidden cameras.

Above all, they wonder why the church pastor, Monsignor Tim O’Connor, called Cary police instead of Maccaline’s family and friends so the situation could be handled in a quieter, more dignified manner.

Why would a priest call the police, rather than letting the almighty creator of the universe handle it? It is an interesting question.

One of the more interesting effects of the question, “Why won’t God heal amputees?” is the fact that it immediately elicits a rationalization from any believer who hears it. For example, a believer will frequently say, “God is not a cosmic genie. He never says that he will answer all your prayers.”

The response to that line of argument is simply to quote from the Bible, because Jesus certainly does say in the Bible that he will answer your prayers. For example, it is easy to point to John 14:14, where Jesus says, “Whatever you ask in my name, I will do it, that the Father may be glorified in the Son; if you ask anything in my name, I will do it.”

The charge that is immediately leveled at that point comes in three forms:
1) “You are taking these verses out of context.”
2) “You are taking Jesus too literally.”
3) “No Christian believes that you can ask for anything.”

Therefore, it was interesting to recently receive a Christian song entitled “All things are possible.” Here is an excerpt:

In this song, the performer is: a) taking the verse as a stand-alone message, free of context, b) taking Jesus literally, and c) believing the verse so much that he’s written and performed a song about it.

Which takes us back to the original question: If all things are possible with God, then why won’t God heal amputees?

The story is simple. According to the article: “At Sunday Mass on New Year’s Eve morning, five officers sprinkled through the congregation, backed by 10 hidden cameras, spotted MacCaline pocketing offering money, Cary police Capt. Dave Wulff said Wednesday. He said they found a $20 bill in his pocket that police planted after recording its serial numbers.” [It takes 5 officers and ten hidden cameras to catch a guy who steals $20???]

Why were the police there? According to the article: “The Sunday before Christmas, a parishioner told Monsignor Tim O’Connor, the church pastor, that it looked as though MacCaline might have pocketed money from the collection baskets, Wulff said. From where he stood facing the congregation, O’Connor also thought he saw something suspicious as the offering was collected, and he contacted police a few days later, Wulff said. O’Connor, [was] named pastor of the church in July 2005 after serving as pastor of Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church in Raleigh.”

With the post came three insightful questions:

Question 1: Why not pray about the thefts, rather than calling the cops?

Question 2: Why not offer forgiveness, instead of arrest?

Question 3: WWJD?

WWJD indeed. Jesus, of course, would offer forgiveness. And Jesus would not pass an offering plate. Jesus was crystal clear on this, making a number of statements like this one found in Matthew 6:19: “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” And don’t forget Matthew 19:21: “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”

Jesus would be entirely repulsed with the Catholic church and its horded riches. See this article for details.

Forum member cMarie also offered this: “They call in the police for theft from the collection plate, but did they ever call the police for the molestation of children? No! They just moved them (perverted priests) to another parish. You can do a lot of things, but YOU BETTER NOT MESS WITH THEIR MONEY!”

So true. And so utterly unlike Jesus. The fact that the Catholic church completely ignores Jesus perfectly demonstrates the delusion that is religion.

Here’s a sad article where a tele-evangelist named Darlene Bishop is being sued by her own relatives because of her claims of God healing her own brother, who died after Darlene convinced him to quit his chemotherapy and instead rely on ‘God’s healing’.Â This woman was willing to risk her own brother’s life to try and further push her own agenda.Â Any Christians who ask the question ‘Where’s the harm in religion?’ should be sent a link to this article.

Rational people completely understand that no study has ever shown prayer to be effective in healing.Â Start reading from chapter 5 of this website through chapter 11 to understand how prayer really works (or rather, doesn’t work).Â Perhaps if Darlene had read these chapters and could let go of her own delusion her brother might still be alive today.

Over a thousand Turks spent the first day of the Muslim feast of Eid al-Adha in emergency wards on Sunday after stabbing themselves or suffering other injuries while sacrificing startled animals.

Why are they sacrificing animals? They are performing “a ritual commemorating the biblical account of God’s provision of a ram for Abraham to sacrifice as he was about to slay his son.” The story of Abraham and his son is told in the Bible’s book of Genesis, chapter 22:

Some time later God tested Abraham. He said to him, “Abraham!”

“Here I am,” he replied.

Then God said, “Take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about.”

Early the next morning Abraham got up and saddled his donkey. He took with him two of his servants and his son Isaac. When he had cut enough wood for the burnt offering, he set out for the place God had told him about. On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance. He said to his servants, “Stay here with the donkey while I and the boy go over there. We will worship and then we will come back to you.”

Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and placed it on his son Isaac, and he himself carried the fire and the knife. As the two of them went on together, Isaac spoke up and said to his father Abraham, “Father?”

“Yes, my son?” Abraham replied.

“The fire and wood are here,” Isaac said, “but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?”

Abraham answered, “God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” And the two of them went on together.

When they reached the place God had told him about, Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it. He bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. Then he reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. But the angel of the LORD called out to him from heaven, “Abraham! Abraham!”

“Here I am,” he replied.

“Do not lay a hand on the boy,” he said. “Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son.”

Do fables get any more ridiculous than this? Here the “perfect, all-knowing, all-loving creator of the universe” takes time out to tell a man to murder and then incinerate his only son. And then, this perfect, all-knowing being changes his mind. How many contradictions can we stack on top of each other in one small fable? Certainly this tale, which contains only 24 sentences, is shooting for the world record.

Yet here we are, 3,000 years later, and millions of Muslims are still sacrificing animals to this being and stabbing themselves in the process. What word do we use to describe this mentality?

If this “god” were to actually exist, what kind of psychotic monster must he be? Why in the world would any intelligent person on this planet “worship” such a repulsive, horrific being?

Oh yes… it’s because this “all-loving” being says that he will burn you in an unquenchable lake of fire for all eternity if you do not worship him. Praise the Lord!

If you are a Muslim or a Christian and you find yourself “worshipping” this horrific, mythological being, consider awakening your brain to the real world by visiting Whywontgodhealamputees.com.